Olympics

An Australian reporter made unfounded claims of doping/steroid use against U.S. sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson and the late Flo Jo ... all because they used acrylic nails.

Claire Lehmann -- founder of Quillette, and contributor to the Australian -- stirred the pot late Friday with a few controversial tweets ... the first of which was aimed at Richardson, whom she suggested was using PEDs because of what she perceived as "strong nails & hair."

She wrote, "Not sure whether the nails are real or fake, but in case you didn’t know very strong nails & hair can be a side effect of steroid use." Lehmann also attached a photo of Richardson -- who was just suspended from competing for a month after a positive THC test.

What people quickly pointed out was ... Richardson uses wigs, and her nails are fake -- so Lehmann's speculation was completely unfounded, and frankly ... downright ignorant.

She wasn't done yet, though -- the journo continued her meritless attacks, only this time ... she went after the late Olympic legend, Florence Griffith Joyner. Lehmann alleged that Flo Jo, too, was doping during her historic record-breaking run in the '80s -- again citing the acrylic nail factor (which was again steeped in error). However, CL went further ... roping in Flo Jo's death, falsely attributing it to drug use, despite the facts clearly disputing that.

Lehmann wrote, "Flo Jo, obvious drug user, had the nails. She died in her sleep at age 38 because that’s what a lifetime of drug use does to the body (and why it’s supposed to be banned from elite sports)."

Several people were quick to point out that -- based on Flo Jo's own autopsy from 1998 -- her cause of death was officially attributed to suffocation due to an epileptic seizure ... which ended up being tied to a congenital brain abnormality that made her prone to seizures.

Also, important to note ... Flo Jo never produced a positive drug test.

Despite the facts flying in her face ... Lehmann hasn't taken down the tweets, and is currently experiencing the wrath of Twitter, with multiple users accusing her of racism ... not to mention defamation on behalf of Flo Jo and Richardson. Even Cardi B has weighed in.

The Federation for International Competitions in Water Sports has turned thumbs down on a swim cap that swimmers with Afro or natural hair could use to compete in the games.

Soul Cap, a Black-owned company that manufacturers swimming caps, created the headgear but the Federation ruled, to its "best knowledge, the athletes competing at the International events never used, neither require to use caps of such size and configuration," adding the caps deviate from "the nature form of the head."

The Federations decisions are followed by the International Olympic Committee.

Soul Cap shot back, "We hoped to further our work for diversity in swimming by having our swim caps certified for competition, so swimmers at any level don't have to choose between the sport they love and their hair."

Track star Sha'Carri Richardson took responsibility for taking to weed which is a violation of Olympic rules, but goes on to say she did it after suffering emotional trauma.

Sha'Carri appeared on "Today" Friday and said squarely, "I want to take responsibility for my actions, I know what I did. I know what I'm supposed to do, [what] I'm allowed not to do and I still made that decision."

She then asked for a little understanding ..."Don't judge me because I am human."

Richardson came in first in the 100-meter race last month at the U.S. Track and Field Trials, but she later tested positive for marijuana and was stripped of her win and it's now unclear if she'll be barred from participating in the Tokyo Olympics.  She was a favorite to win, which would be the first U.S. gold medal for the event since 1996.

As for why she crossed the line and used weed, she explained the day she did a reporter came up just before the trials and told her her mom had died.

A reporter had told her her biological mother had died right before the trials.

WNBA superstar Angel McCoughtry is pleading with Olympic officials to ease their restrictions on political protests at this summer's event ... explaining to TMZ Sports she wants to see Gwen Berry's demonstrations continue.

We got the Las Vegas Aces wing -- who's a two-time Olympic gold medalist herself -- out at LAX this week ... and she made it clear she likes what Berry did during the national anthem last weekend.

The 34-year-old hooper said there's clearly still racism and social injustice in America ... and when Berry turned her back on the flag during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" to shed light on that, she had no problem with it.

In fact, McCoughtry tells us she's hoping to see more of it when Berry -- a hammer thrower -- arrives in Tokyo later this month ... despite Olympic officials forbidding protests from the field of play, during official ceremonies and at the podiums.

"I think that there shouldn't be penalties," McCoughtry says, adding, "there shouldn't be a penalty for standing up for what's right."

"If someone wants to protest for what's right in our country, there should be no penalties for that."

McCoughtry says as long as Berry doesn't lose a medal for protests ... she's urging her to continue the demonstrations going forward.

Caitlyn Jenner -- one of the greatest U.S. Olympians EVER -- is furious with Gwen Berry for her anthem protest ... calling the hammer thrower's actions straight-up "disgusting."

The reality TV star broke it all down to Eric Bolling on Newsmax TV on Wednesday ... explaining she could not believe Berry turned her back on "The Star Spangled Banner" after finishing in 3rd place at last weekend's 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials in Eugene, OR.

"Honestly," Jenner said, "it's disgusting."

Berry -- a very vocal athlete in the fight for social justice in America -- was so pissed when the anthem played at her podium ceremony ... she did everything she could to express her dismay with the song.

The 31-year-old turned away from the flag, held up a T-shirt that read "Activist Athlete" ... and said afterward she thought officials were setting her up just to see how she'd react.

Jenner -- who's now gunning to be California's next governor -- says the whole scene was B.S. ... explaining she believes Berry should've acted differently.

"I don't like political statements on the podium," Jenner said. "We shouldn't do that. This is the greatest gathering of people and countries in the world."

"Over 200 countries will be at the Olympic Games -- there's 150-something countries in the U.N. and it has such potential for good. Don't destroy it."

Jenner went on to say she doesn't believe Berry will have the opportunity to have similar protests at the Olympics later this summer ... saying she believes Berry just isn't that good of an athlete.

"To be honest with you, we don't have a worry in the world that she'll be on the podium there, because she got third there," Jenner said.

"The other two girls ahead of her are so much better, and there's other ones around the world in the hammer throw. So I think that was kind of her last hurrah."

Congressman Madison Cawthorn is LIVID over Gwen Berry's anthem protest ... calling it "disgusting" and telling TMZ Sports the hammer thrower should be booted from the country's Olympic team over it all.

The North Carolina rep didn't mince words when we got him out on Capitol Hill on Monday ... ripping Berry for her demonstration during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Saturday's 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials in Eugene, OR.

"It's laughable!" the 25-year-old politician said. "I mean, literally, it's just the easiest thing to do! Literally the bare minimum requirement that you have to do to be on the Olympic team besides be an incredible athlete is just respect and rep the country you are there for."

"And, so, when I see someone who is not respecting our national anthem, who's destroying our entire country -- the entire reason we fund the Olympic program is so that we can be represented on the world stage with how great our nation is -- so, I think it's disgusting."

If you missed it, Berry -- who's been incredibly vocal in the fight for social justice in America -- was furious when the anthem played during her podium appearance after placing in third place on Saturday.

She turned her back toward the flag ... and eventually held up a t-shirt that read "activist athlete."

Afterward, Berry said of the song, "The anthem doesn't speak for me. It never has.''

Cawthorn made it clear Monday he believes she shouldn't be allowed to rep the U.S. during the Tokyo Olympics with that opinion, saying, "I don't think she should be on the team."

"If you're not going to represent and respect our country, then I don't think you should be there."

Cawthorn added, "She is there to be our champion yet she's disgracing our entire country."

Kim Kardashian's undergarment line, SKIMS, will be officially repping the U.S. on the biggest stage ... as the gear American athletes will rock in their downtime.

The big news came out Monday when Kim posted photos of Olympians already decked out in SKIMS-inspired products with "Team USA" emblazoned across the front and sides. She has quite a story about how this came about, too.

Kim first discussed her ties to the Olympics, and how she grew up with the games as a big part of her life -- thanks, in large part, to her stepdad, Caitlyn Jenner, who used to compete (and win) when she was growing up. So, in other words ... she already has an Olympic pedigree.

Of the deal itself, she writes, "When I received the call inviting Skims to be a part of @TeamUSA, every moment I’ve spent admiring the strength and energy of the Olympians from the sidelines came full circle" -- going on to explain SKIMS will design the underwear, loungewear and pajamas worn during the Tokyo Games ... which is huge, obviously.

Kim also shouted out the athletes who posed for this campaign ... including Alex Morgan, Dalilah Muhammad, A'ja Wilson, Scout Bassett, Haley Anderson and others.

Gwen Berry -- a U.S. hammer thrower who'll compete at the Tokyo Olympics -- partook in what event honchos have said they won't tolerate come game day ... national anthem protests.

Berry, who's Black, did well enough Saturday at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials in Eugene, OR to qualify for her second Olympics as a pro athlete ... but when it came to accepting her bronze medal on the podium -- "The Star-Spangled Banner" began playing.

She wasn't having any of it ... with several photos capturing the awkward moment, in which GB refused to place her hand over heart, and even turning away from the flag -- unlike her fellow competitors, who did the exact opposite.

At one point, while she was standing up there, Berry busted out a T-shirt she had on her that read "Activist Athlete" ... holding it up high, and then putting it over her head while she continued to snub the flag/anthem as it played. She didn't stop there, either.

Afterward, she was obviously asked about her demonstration. Turns out, she was pretty "pissed" by the whole thing -- accusing organizers of staging the timing of it all and playing the anthem right when they knew Gwen would get up, almost like daring her to react.

She says, "They had enough opportunities to play the national anthem before we got up there. I was thinking about what I should do. Eventually, I stayed there and I swayed ... It was real disrespectful." Berry went on to claim she was told the anthem would be played before the podium ceremony, adding, "I don't really want to talk about the anthem because that’s not important. The anthem doesn’t speak for me. It never has."

A rep for the USA Track and Field Team denied her characterization, saying the anthem is scheduled to play daily at a certain time (5:20 PM, it seems) and no sabotage was in play.

Either way, it'll be interesting to see how Berry handles anthems at the actual games here in a few weeks. The International Olympic Committee has said athletes who compete are forbidden from making scenes like this, be it political, social or otherwise.

Serena Williams will not be Tokyo-bound this Summer ... because she just said she's not heading to the Olympics.

It's a big blow for the games losing that kind of star power -- Serena snagged 4 gold medals in prior years, most recently in 2012.

She said Sunday at Wimbledon, "I'm actually not on the Olympic list, not that I'm aware of," adding, "If so, then I shouldn't be on it."

If that sounds a little vague, Serena cleared it up with this ... "There's a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I don't really want to. I don't feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry."

Still not enough? Well, she ended with this ... "I have not thought about it. In the past [the Olympics] has been a wonderful place for me. I really haven't thought about it, so I'm going to keep not thinking about it."

As for her Olympic hardware, in the 2000 games in Sydney she beat Maria Sharapova in singles and won doubles as well, in 2008 she won in Beijing and 2012 won doubles with her sister, Venus.

As for the present ... Serena's eying her 8th win at Wimbledon. She's up against Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus Tuesday.

L.A. Sparks coach Derek Fisher is PISSSSSED OFF that his star player Nneka Ogwumike got left off Team USA's Olympic squad ... and he's letting everyone know!

FYI, 30-year-old Ogwumike is a 6-time WNBA All-Star and was the league MVP in 2016. She's a legend.

So, when Team USA named the squad for the Tokyo 2020 Games and left her name off the list ... Fisher was furious and sounded off to the media.

"We're pissed, honestly" Fisher said ... "I think the thing about Nneka is nothing has to be given to her. She earned it. She deserves it. That's the most frustrating and disappointing part."

Fisher points out Ogwumike turned down opportunities to make more money overseas in order to participate in Team USA events in 2019 ... clearly under the impression she would get a spot on the Tokyo 2020 team.

"[She] could have probably gone overseas maybe to make more money than sacrifice for Team USA. Sacrificing her body in terms of performing well, leading the team in scoring during the tour, won MVP award during their group on the tour. "

"Like, I don't know what else a player is supposed to do. She's been an All-Star 6 times in the last 10 years. She's been the MVP of the league in recent years, 2016, a champion in the league. One of the faces of the league."

Fisher added, "We respect other players, happy for the ones that made it but ain't no way you can tell me you can put a team together and leave Nneke off of it and try to say that it makes sense and that it adds up because it doesn't."

COOL RANCH DORITOS EARRINGS FOR THE WIN!!!

Check out U.S. track star Christina Clemons -- who rocked the snacky jewelry during her 100m hurdles race this weekend ... AND MADE THE OLYMPIC TEAM!!!

The 31-year-old -- who had never made the Olympics team in the past -- put up a scorching 12.53 finish at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in Oregon on Sunday ... earning her a spot on Team USA!

Now, Christina is smartly hitting up Doritos for an endorsement deal -- and we gotta say ... IT'S GENIUS!!!

Not only does Christina have an incredible backstory ... overcoming injuries and defying the odds ... but she also apparently LOVES the chips!

"I made the Olympic team wearing a bag of @Doritos on my ears," Clemons tweeted ... "Twitter, I need y’all to do your thing! We need to blow Doritos mentions UP 🙌🏾😂"

Hey, the Doritos slogan is "For the Bold" -- and what's bolder than wearing chip bags on your ears for the biggest race of your life ... and then winning!?!?

So far, Doritos hasn't responded to Christina -- but we gotta imagine they're gonna jump all over this.

And, if they need more convincing ... just watch Christina's emotional post-race speech when she explained all that she's overcome.

"I've been going after this team since 2012," Clemons said.

"I ruptured my Achilles in 2013. I wasn't healthy enough in 2016. We had to wait a whole year in 2020 and now here I've been looked over, I've been counted out but when God is with you, it doesn't matter! I'm just so happy!"

"I'm just ready! I'm ready! My teammates, America, we go so hard!"

LET'S GOOOOO!!!!!

For the very first time, a transgender athlete will compete in the summer Olympics ... and shocker, there's already controversy.

43-year-old Laurel Hubbard -- who transitioned from male to female in 2013 -- has been selected to the New Zealand women's weightlifting team to compete in the women's 87-kilogram division.

The issue?? Hubbard competed in men's weightlifting competitions before she transitioned -- and some critics are already blasting the situation as unfair to other athletes.

But, the International Olympic Committee has specific guidelines for transgender athletes to compete -- testosterone levels must be below a certain level -- and Hubbard has met the criteria since 2015.

In other words, she's good to go!!

The CEO of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, Kereyn Smith, issued a statement Monday supporting Hubbard.

"We acknowledge that gender identity in sport is a highly sensitive and complex issue requiring a balance between human rights and fairness on the field of play," Smith said.

"As the New Zealand Team, we have a strong culture of manaaki and inclusion and respect for all. We are committed to supporting all eligible New Zealand athletes and ensuring their mental and physical wellbeing, along with their high-performance needs, while preparing for and competing at the Olympic Games are met.”

Not everyone feels that way ... back in May, Belgian weightlifter Anna Vanbellinghen reportedly called Hubbard's qualifying situation "unfair" and a "bad joke."

Hubbard, though, wasn't letting the disapproval get in the way of her feat Monday ... saying, "I am grateful and humbled by the kindness and support that has been given to me by so many New Zealanders."

"The last 18 months has shown us all that there is strength in kinship, in community, and in working together towards a common purpose. The mana of the silver fern comes from all of you and I will wear it with pride.”

Added Olympic Weightlifting New Zealand President Richie Patterson, "Laurel is an astute student of the sport and technically very good with the lifts. We look forward to supporting her in her final preparations towards Tokyo."

Usain Bolt is not letting that surname of his go to waste -- especially as it pertains to his kids ... including the two latest additions to his family, who've got names that really lean in.

The Jamaican track star rolled out a bit of a Father's Day surprise Sunday, taking to IG to post a photo of his brood -- including his GF, Kasi Bennett, his daughter, Olympia Lightning ... and newborn twins, who go by Saint Leo Bolt and Thunder Bolt. One big Bolt-y family!

The two new kiddos kinda come as news to many -- as it doesn't appear a whole lot of people knew he and Kasi were expecting. All the same, friends and fans sent him well-wishes in his comments.

Kasi, meanwhile, paid tribute to Usain herself, throwing up another shot from the shoot and adding this caption ... "Happy Father’s Day to my forever love! @usainbolt You are the rock of this family and the greatest daddy to our little ones. We love you world without end!"

It's unclear when exactly Kasi gave birth to the babies -- but it appears to be somewhat recent. It also looks like the couple didn't waste much time getting busy for more children -- Olympia was born just last year ... so she's got her about 365 days on her siblings.

One last thing we should note ... it seems like UB is going to be able to enjoy fatherhood fully at the ripe age of 34. He isn't competing in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics ... as he retired from competing a few years back, this after an incredible run and many, many gold medals.

Olympic hero Greg Louganis' marriage is coming to an end after nearly 8 years of matrimony.

The diving legend's husband, John Chaillot, has filed divorce docs. According to court records, John submitted the paperwork last Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Greg, who won 4 gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games, tied the knot with John in Malibu back in October 2013 ... about 4 months after they announced their engagement.

The Olympian and paralegal started dating in 2012, meeting through the online dating site Match. It's unclear what led to the split. They did not have any children together.

It's the first divorce for Greg, who's also famous for his work post his diving career -- he's written books, acted in movies and is a well-known activist for gay rights and HIV awareness.

Moments after Naomi Osaka announced she was withdrawing from Wimbledon to focus on "personal time" ... the tennis superstar was already making good on her word, hitting up a fancy L.A. grocery store with a friend.

Osaka -- sporting a COVID mask -- hit up Monsieur Marcel Gourmet Market, Bistro & Seafood Market.

So, no on French Open ... but yes on French food!

On her way out, Osaka was asked about her decision to take time away from pro tennis to focus on her mental health ... but the 23-year-old wasn't talking.

After all, her team already put out a statement explaining her position -- saying, "Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year. She is taking some personal time with friends and family."

"She will be ready for the Olympics and is excited to play in front of her home fans."

In the meantime, Osaka seemed relaxed ... sporting a vintage "Mulan" t-shirt and driving off in her baby blue Ford Bronco.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka is pulling out of another Grand Slam ... the #2-ranked player in the world has withdrawn from Wimbledon to spend time with loved ones ahead of the Olympics.

This is the second major tournament 23-year-old Osaka has decided to skip -- she withdrew from the French Open before the second round last month due to her opposition to mandatory media availability.

Now, Osaka will not be making the trip to London, with her agent releasing a statement Thursday.

"Naomi won't be playing Wimbledon this year," the rep said. "She is taking some personal time with friends and family."

It's unclear if Osaka's war with the reporters played a factor -- the All England Club reportedly reached out to the superstar to have a discussion about handling media ops ahead of the tournament.

As we previously reported, Osaka opened up on her battle with depression and social anxiety following her 2018 U.S. Open win ... saying she's struggled with coping with the spotlight.

Osaka has consistently said she has no issue with the journalists who have treated her fairly ... and has apologized to those affected by her decision to avoid talking.